Wasting no time on the results show – which now lasts a brisk 30 minutes – Seacrest revealed that C.J. Harris and Jessica Meuse had received the lowest number of votes from fans and were in danger of being sent home.

But it was C.J., the raspy country boy from Alabama, who was ultimately sent packing as judge Jennifer Lopez teared up after his name was announced, and as his fellow finalists gave him a standing ovation.

"It's so sad to see him go," Lopez told PEOPLE following the announcement. "In a lot of ways, he was the heart of the competition."